Maxime Pascal and Le Balcon continue their exploration of Stockhausen’s Licht. Dienstag, the second day, is dedicated to Mars, the god of war. A war pitting the archangel Michael, the cycle’s hero, against Lucifer.
Whilst the battle between the archangel and the devil is a well-known biblical scene, Stockhausen treats it in a rather unique way. Moreover, throughout the cycle, the figure of Michael serves as a projection of the composer himself. According to Maxime Pascal, “Stockhausen’s cosmic and mystical writings are a response to the violence of the traumas he suffered as a child (the death of his father and mother, the horrors of war). The question of childhood is fundamental to understanding his music: his naivety must be interpreted as positive. He chose to preserve it, without, however, becoming trapped within it.”
Le Balcon Le Jeune Chœur de Paris Elèves du Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris (CNSMDP)
Artistic direction Maxime Pascal, Nieto, Damien Bigourdan Musical direction Maxime Pascal and Richard Wilberforce (Gruss) Stage direction Damien Bigourdan Visual Design Nieto Assistant Director Agathe Cemin Sound Design Florent Derex assisted by Léna Jallon Set Design Myrtille Debièvre Computer Music Production Augustin Muller assisted by Étienne Démoulin Costumes Pascale Lavandier Lighting Catherine Verheyde Props Marguerite Lantz
